International Science Community Association International Research Journal of Earth Sciences 9 1 2021 02 25 A geotechnical study on properties and uses of Shales of the Dharwar system, Karnataka, India 32 37 EN I. Yahuza 1 Department of Applied Geology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Nigeria A.I. Haruna 2 Department of Applied Geology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Nigeria B. Isah 3 Department of Geology, University of Jos, Nigeria Sen Monali 1 Indian Forest Service Officer on Special Duty, Forest cum Joint Secretary, Environment, Government of Rajasthan, India Gardezi Syed Ahsan Hussain 1 Geological Survey of Pakistan, Pakistan Hussain Gulfam 2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China and Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China Neupane Bhupati 3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China and Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, China Imran Muhammad 4 Geological Survey of Pakistan, Pakistan Hamid Qazi Yasar 5 Geological Survey of Pakistan, Pakistan Ikram Nawaz 6 Institute of Geology, University of Azad Jammu &Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, 13100, Pakistan Usmani Nadeem Ahmad 7 Geological Survey of Pakistan, Pakistan and Uuniversity of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China and Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China Asghar Hussain 8 Institute of Geology, University of Azad Jammu &Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, 13100, Pakistan Hakariq Udayashankar D. 1 Department of Civil Engineering, S.D.M. College of Engineering and Technology, (An autonomous institute under Visveswaraya Technological University, Belagavi, Karnataka) Dharwad -580 002 (Karnataka), India > Review Paper 2020 5 25 2021 02 25 The Dharwar system of rocks in Karnataka comprises of shales which are basically sedimentary rocks having high content of clay and silt. They generally exhibit laminated structure and possess low strength, low permeability and high water sensitivity. Apart from several uses, the shales are considered to be prominent source of oil and natural gas including their use as seals in the petroleum traps and reservoirs. In the present paper, it is attempted to present the properties and uses of shales of the Dharwar system which is 4-1 billion years old and has special distinction of being the first and oldest metamorphosised sedimentary rock system in India. Due to its unpredictable behaviour, shales are found to be difficult rocks to classify, sample and obtain reliable test results for their use in engineering works. The origin, distribution, classification, properties and the possible uses of shales of Dharwar system are briefly discussed and their engineering evaluation for construction also has been presented. Copyright@ International Science Community Association